After a straight-set first-round victory yesterday, Aggie sophomore Saska Gavrilovska faced Florida freshman Brooke Austin today in the round of 16. Austin, the No. 4 seed in the tournament and the ITA's No. 1 freshman/newcomer in the preseason singles rankings, topped Gavrilovska, 6-2, 6-3, to advance.
In doubles, A&M's Ines Deheza and Rachel Pierson had improved to 6-0 with a straight-set victory on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals. Today, the Aggie duo was pitted against the eighth-ranked tandem in the nation and the tournament's No. 1 seed, Beatrice Gumulya and Jessy Rompies of Clemson. The Tiger duo lived up to its seeding, advancing with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
The talent-laden tournament, which runs through Sunday, consists of champions from each of the 12 Division I USTA/ITA Regional Championships, the USTA/ITA National Small College Super Bowl champion, the four semifinalists and consolation winner from the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships as well as at-large and wild card selections made by the ITA and USTA. Additionally, Columbia University, which is serving as the host school for the fourth consecutive year, received a wild card entry.
The Aggies will compete at the Palm Springs Classic, January 16-18, in their final tune-up before beginning dual match play at the George P. Mitchell Center on Jan. 24 against North Texas in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWomensTennis.
Texas A&M results:
Singles
32 #34 Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) def. #85 Kanika Vaidya (Columbia) 7-5, 6-0
16 Brooke Austin (Florida) def. #34 Saska Gavrilovska (Texas A&M) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
16 Ines Deheza/Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. Giuliana Olmos/Gabrielle Smith (USC) 6-4, 6-4
QF #8 Beatrice Gumulya/Jessy Rompies (Clemson) def. Ines Deheza/Rachel Pierson (A&M) 6-3, 6-3